Chairlift Collapse Injures Dozens at Spanish Ski Resort
A chairlift malfunction at a ski resort near the French border in Spain left around 35 people injured on January 18, with several suffering serious injuries, according to regional officials and local media. Miguel Ángel Clavero, the director of emergencies for the Aragon region, reported that the incident resulted from a failure in the return pulley of one of the chairlifts, which caused the cable to lose tension, leading to the collapse of several chairs and some skiers falling to the ground.
Witness accounts describe a chaotic scene as skiers on multiple chairs experienced a sudden drop. One victim, María Moreno, recounted the ordeal, stating, "Suddenly we heard a sound and we fell straight to the ground inside the chair. We bounced up and down about five times, and our backs were quite sore or we were hurt, but there were people who fell out of the chairs." She expressed her fear during the incident, emphasizing the severity of injuries that some individuals sustained.
Local media estimates indicate that about 39 people were injured, with nine reported as seriously hurt. A young man interviewed by TVE described the horrifying moment: "It's like a cable came loose, and suddenly all the chairs started to bounce, and people went flying."
In the aftermath of the accident, regional leader Jorge Azcon took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to announce his immediate response to the incident, stating he was en route to the ski resort and that efforts were underway to assist those affected. In an attempt to manage the situation effectively, five helicopters and a dozen ambulances were dispatched to transport the injured to nearby hospitals.
Fernando Beltrán, representing the Spanish government in Aragon, later affirmed that all skiers impacted by the accident had been evacuated and that the injured were receiving medical care. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also reached out to offer support, confirming his conversation with Azcon regarding the incident.
The ski resort issued a statement on X, expressing their concern and support for those affected as they worked in collaboration with emergency services to provide necessary assistance. Investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident, but the distressing accounts of those impacted underscore the incident's tragic nature.
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